Intro To The Beta
This page is intended to help people in the Starhawk private beta learn how to play How Do I Get In The Private Beta? To get a Starhawk private beta code, LightBox randomly posts on the Starhawk Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/StarhawkTheGame), but you need to be paying attention. Some sites sometimes run contests, and they usually announce them there. Other ways to maybe get code: Register at http://starhawkthegame.com and make sure your PSN ID is opted-in to receive marketing email (go to XMB, Account Management, Account Information, Notification Preferences). "Waves" of email invites go out periodically. Those emails are the MAIN way that codes are awarded (to selected Warhawkers). Other sites will also have giveaways (read PS blog entry about the beta http://blog.us.playstation.com/tag/starhawk/), but we don't know when yet, and you may have to follow those sites to find out. What's In The Beta? Right now just 2 maps, and 1 Game Mode (CTF). Not all the vehicles and weapons are there, and there are many features missing (party system, etc). Various features will get added into the beta over time. Read The Forums LightBox has some summary posts in there that tell you how to stay on top of news about the beta (see Dylan's "Welcom"), report bugs, etc. What Are The Game Controls? LightBox Info LightBox has posted some info about controls and objects in the beta. Go to the forums and look in the forum sub-spaces for Weapons, Vehicles, and Build & Battle (there's 1 summary LightBox thread in each of those sub-spaces). These do not cover every control in the game though. Other Controls Re-spawn Map The right thumbstick lets you zoom in and out on the map Work-arounds For Known Bugs Mic Stops Working If you're playing a round and the host quits on you, you need to completely shutdown Starhawk, then re-launch it, otherwise your mic may stop working. Learn About The Weapons/Vehicles/Structures This wiki contains info about the various in-game objects, what they're useful for, how to use them, etc. You should read about the game's troop weapons, vehicles, and structures. (Note: No one's made a category or entries for air weapons yet). You also want to be familiar with one of the game's major mechanics, Build & Battle. To see a list of every page in this wiki, click General Tips For Learning The Starhawk Beta How Can I Learn The Game? Someone write about creating your own server...but that people may enter and send you out of pre-game. How Do I Spawn? Whenever you spawn on Starhawk, you fly in through the sky in a Drop Pod. This is a lot like a missile, in the sense that you can kill someone by landing on them. It's very useful for controlling where you're going, as you may want to land on a Supply Bunker to get some weapons and supplies straight away. Or you may want to land straight on a Hawk Pad to get straight into some dogfighting. One decision you will have to make when choosing where to land is whether to try to squash the enemy o rnot. If you miss them but spawn near them, you will be a target, and they most likely have better weapons than you. You may want to spawn mid-range from them, so you can use your Rifle to gun them down. (Someone should write about sitting in your indestructible pod, extra spawn points due to Pod Beacons, etc. ) What Am I Seeing On My Screen? Read about Starhawk's various menus and displays What's In My Base? Read about the Rift Collector What Are The Basics Of Building Structures? Building is one of the most innovative features of Starhawk. But there are rules and restrictions as to how you can build things on Starhawk. To build things, you need Rift Energy . This is like the currency of the game. Different buildings cost different amounts of Rift, Eg. A Wall costs 1 bar of rift, a Garage costs 2 bars of rift, etc. Sometimes you may see a building that is in the way, or is badly placed. You can Reclaim some of these buildings (But not al!). This will return the rift to the original builder. This is especially helpful with walls and gates , and these are often placed in very bad positions by accident/bad tactics. How Do I Get Rift So I Can Build Structures? There are three main sources of rift. The Rift Collector , Spawn Beacons , and Rift Barrels . These all provide a replenishable source of rift. The Rift Collector and the Spawn Beacon will give you a slow supply when you are in a certain radius around them, whereas Rift Barrels give you rift when you shoot them. They respawn after 20 or so seconds. Aswell as this, you can get rift from Capturing the flag , Returning the flag, Killing enemies and Destroying enemy buildings. It is worth mentioning that in Pre-Game, Spawn Beacons and Rift Collectors do not supply you with rift, and you have to use the other methods to obtain it. How Do I Get Other Weapons? Someone write more here...making Bunkers, Sniper Towers, etc. Where Are The Mines And Repair Tool? In Acid Sea Someone write here! In Space Someone write here! What Are The Basics Of Combat? Someone write more here. Talk about the Kinetic Rifle, hip fire (but not while sprinting), over-the-shoulder targeting, health regeneration, etc. How Do I Get A Vehicle? Someone write more here...make sure people know they can order from existing garages/pads at lower cost. But can't order from enemy buildings. etc. How Do I Make A New Spawn Point? Someone write more here. Remind people if you're building near Rift Barrels, keep the Pod Beacon close enough that you get its Rift while you're harvesting/defending the barrels. What Should I Do? Someone write some ideas here for what new players could do next (defend, make bases, attack, etc). Fill these sub-sections in, add more sections? Build/Defend Someone write about defending Home? Write about Walls, linking, Wall Gates, Auto Turrets, etc. Also write about over-building! Create Forward Bases Foward bases are a useful tool in Starhawk. Especially in Capture the Flag . If your foward base contains a spawn beacon , you and your team can spawn close to the enemy's base and get straight into attacking. Foward bases are very vunerable though. This is because the enemy has the advantage as their main base is nearby. They can easily destroy your pod beacon, but you can't stop them from spawning in their home base... The best way to combat this is to make sure that your foward base is stocked up well. This means putting bunkers down so that anyone who spawns there is well equipped. Just remember the enemy can very easily enter the bunker from the top and surprise you with an attack. and be as well-equipt as you are if you don't defend the Bunkers. Possibly a garage so that you have easy access (if you're playing capture the flag) to a Razorback . Attack Someone write about Zerg rushes, assaulting or sneaking-in to heavily-defended Homes, etc. Tactics How Do I Take-out An Automatic Machine Gun Turret? Auto Turrets can be a very tricky obstacle when you're trying to assault an enemy's base. Fortunately, there are mutliple ways to destroy them... Auto Turrets can be destroyed with every weapon in the game, though some do more damage than others. It is advisable that you either use a Rocket launcher or a Sniper Rifle . Two shots from a rocket launcher will destroy the turret, and if you have a sniper rifle you can shoot the 'eye' of the turret to kill it in one go. Although you can shoot the 'eye' with all weapons, the sniper rifle is the most accurate and therefore the best choice. If shooting the turret fails, or you're too close to shoot it without it killing you first, you can 'dismantle' the turret. This is simply done by running up to it and using the melee button (R3). This should only be a last resort though, since the turret is more accurate up close and it may kill you before you get to it. Strategies Someone write about building super Home bases and "turtling-up"...why or why not? Building forward spawn points. Areas of the map you want to control. etc. Tips For Specific Maps Acid Sea Someone write here! Also, FullFrontalGaming blog has published a ground map/guide here: {C}http://fullfrontalgaming.blogspot.com/2011/11/starhawk-corner-no-swimming.html Air map: {C}http://fullfrontalgaming.blogspot.com/2011/11/starhawk-corner-being-seahawk.html Space Someone write here! Also, FullFrontalGaming blog has published a ground map/guide here: {C}http://fullfrontalgaming.blogspot.com/2011/11/starhawk-corner-spacing-out.html Air map: {C}http://fullfrontalgaming.blogspot.com/2011/11/starhawk-corner-hawks-in-space.html Tips For Specific Game Modes Capture The Flag Rush the enemy! As soon as the game starts, it is advisable to build a garage straight away and head to the enemy's flag in a Razorback . This is a good method since you can get to the enemy base before they have a chance to build any fortifications or turrets. It may well end up badly, since you are usually outnumbered badly, and any enemies you kill can spawn back right where they died in a few seconds. But if you are quick and smart enough, you should be able to get an easy flag capture right at the start of the game. Following on from this: Prepare for an enemy rush! At the start of almost every game, the enemy will try and rush you using the above tactic. The best way to prepare for this is to leave some team-mates behind at the base, and preferably on high ground (since Razorbacks can easily run you over). You may also want to build a bunker as quickly as possible, because you will get a Rocket Launcher which can easily destoy enemy Razorbacks. If any enemy is out of their Razorback , concentrate fire on the razorback rather than the enemy. If they have no means of transportation, they're sitting ducks for people at your base. Intelligent wall placement! Whatever you do, don't build walls in a ridiculous labryinth that not only confuses the enemy, but you and your team! The best way to build walls is to surround the flag in as little room as possible. On the space map, you can effectively seal off the flag with as little as two walls (although there is always a way to get to it). Fortify your base like some kind of high security prison! As the game goes on, your enemy will most likely start building hawks and fly over to your base, transform into a mech and beat the living goat's milk out of you. However, you can stop this by building decent fortifications. This means always having a Bunker in your home base so that anyone spawning there can get some decent weapons. It also means having some kind of wall system which will bide you time to kill the enemies who are after the flag. Energy Shields are a big bonus too, although they are very, very expensive and you may want to consider spending your rift on something else. Such as a Beam Turret . These are very good against airbourne enemies as they auto lock onto them. They are also good for destroying enemy foward bases that are visible, since you can get in them and beam fire onto their bunkers, or whatever buildings they have. The most important tactic of all: '''Teamwork! '''It really helps to have an effective method for teamwork. This means using a microphone, or at least some kind of communication. This is good, as it means that you can ask teammates what buildings they've built, and whether you need to build another one etc. It also helps to know who has the flag, or who's defending it. You may want to move around in groups also, this is relevant to the Rush tactic, since you can get a Razorback full of people right at the start of the game and storm the enemy base as a team. One person might want to be the driver, one person might want to use the turret and one person might want to jump out and get the flag. Team defence is also important, as you may want to cover different sides of your base, or have diferent buildings assigned to each person. Frequently Asked Questions How Do I See Player Scores In A Game? Someone write here! More Tips Elsewhere FullFrontalGaming has been publishing some good Starhawk beta tips: {C}http://fullfrontalgaming.blogspot.com/search/label/Starhawk